Tag Archives: Brisbane Business Forum

The night was one of two excellent speakers. Both young at age 36. I also invited along with me a young entrepreneur in the making. Dean is 25 and wanting to learn about business. I am glad I invited him to attend this particular forum.

Ian Davies, Managing Director and CEO of Senex Energy gave an excellent presentation of how he took a public company with $20m turnover in 2010 to become a $200m turnover business in 2014. All of this from a man who is only 36 years old. Ian noted the struggles his company faced as an energy explorer, from a flood wiping out roads and bridges and having to build new ones. To then be hit by another flood that wiped out that road and having to build another one higher. Some of the key points I took away from Ian’s presentation

Systems and Procedures– Ian noted that once you start to grow a business, the importance of systems and procedures becomes even greater to ensure the business is running course. Growth means more people, increasing the need to manage them more efficiently and keep them on course with a given framework of how the business is to operate.

Mentors– Ian as a young MD and CEO was targeted early by his now mentor to take on his current position. He quickly had to learn about all facets of the business. Ian stated that he is not a geologist, but he can talk with the best of them from his having to understand the core business of exploration. He did this by finding mentors whose knowledge and experience he could draw upon.

Anthony Yap, Managing Director of Good Price Pharmacy gave an inspiring presentation. From the time he left university aged 21 Anthony had one ambition, to own his own pharmacy. He started as a manager at a pharmacy working tirelessly to learn about how they ran their business. In one year he had purchased his first pharmacy. That quickly began to grow in numbers where the second pharmacy he bought for $270k he sold one year later for $1.2m. Anthony also told of his fight against a major competitor who setup a discount pharmacy only doors down from his own. At a meeting with his competitor, they told him they had the budget to drive him out of business. Anthony stood his ground to now run 44 stores. Some of the key points I took away from Anthony’s presentation

Systems and Procedures– This was the first thing Anthony learnt about while managing a pharmacy. He wanted to know every process that was involved in running a pharmacy so he could implement them into his own. This is how he could buy a business for $270k and sell it one year later for $1.2m.

Passion and Persistence– You need to be hungry for business to drive you to work at it. Anthony was asked “How do you know if you have a passion for business?” his response was “If you have to ask yourself that question then you don’t have the passion”. Persistence is what got him his first store and allowed him to endure the ordeals of his competitors.

Directors and Shareholders Agreements– As one of 4 partners initially, Anthony went through the ordeal of buying out his partners where there was no partnership agreement in place setting out the agreed buy out/exit procedure for a partner. This cost both time and money, taking a toll on the business.